Let's Dance with Taliso Engel

Out of the swimsuit, into the dancing shoes.

Two-time Paralympic champion and three-time world champion Taliso Engel has been training hard this year – but not for the pool. At least not for now, as he will be busy as one of the 14 participants in the German TV dance show Let’s Dance, which premieres this Friday (21 February) on RTL.

On the first day, Engel will find out which professional dancer he will train and perform with over the coming weeks. Every Friday, competitors will showcase their routines in front of a live audience and a panel of judges, who will award them points. The grand finale is set for 30 May.

“My expectations for Let’s Dance are to experience a new sport, hopefully improve my dancing skills, and, most importantly, have an unforgettable time," Engel said in an interview with RTL. "On one hand, I respect the different physical demands compared to swimming, but on the other hand, I’m excited to step out of my comfort zone.”

A fan of techno and hip-hop, the 22-year-old will have to prove his versatility by mastering styles ranging from the waltz to the tango and quickstep.

Engel is no stranger to the spotlight. He made his international debut in 2018, winning a bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke SB13 at the European Championships in Dublin, Ireland. A year later, he claimed his first world title in the same event at the World Championships in London. He has since successfully defended his gold medal at the 2022 Worlds in Madeira and the 2023 edition in Manchester.

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At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Engel competed in three races and won gold in his signature event, the 100m breaststroke. He repeated this feat at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, topping the podium once again and setting a new world record on the way (1:01.84).

Born in Lauf an der Pegnitz, near Nuremberg, Engel competes for Bayer Leverkusen and is one of Germany’s top medal contenders for this year’s World Para Swimming Championships, to be held from 21 to 27 September in Singapore.

Engel is not the first German Paralympian to take part in Let’s Dance. Para athletics sprinter Heinrich Popow and thrower Mathias Mester competed in the 2017 and 2022 editions, respectively.

Paralympic swimmers have also stepped onto the dance floor around the globe. 

Recently retired Para swimmer Ellen Keane reached the top four on Ireland’s Dancing with the Stars in 2022, just months after winning gold in the 100m breaststroke SB8 at the Tokyo Paralympics. London 2012 champion Victoria Arlen also competed in the U.S. edition of Dancing with the Stars in 2017.